Born in 1839, the Austrian photographer Baron Raimund von Stillfried was the son of a baron and a countess.

Von Stillfried could have been anything he wanted to be, and he chose photography.  He lived and worked in Japan and took many trips to nearby countries, including China.

His career, which spanned from 1860-1885, produced beautiful photographs of ordianry individuals in the East.

In the first three photographs, look at the detail on the clothing

Portrait of an Admiral or a Chinese gentleman

Portrait of two Buddhist monks with rosary, bell and slit drum (c. 1875)

Hand colored albumen print of a Japanese woman on her head (c. 1875)

There is one other remarkable photograph to share that may have been taken by von Stillifried or the photographer Kusakabe Kimbei.

Japanese Tattoo by von Stillfried or Kimbei